Only At Night
by mistress-autumn
Summary: Seth imprints on Sam's half sister, a girl who has just moved in to La Push. Amidst family conflict and her potential phasing, she doesn't seem to return Seth's affections at all - that is except when he's in wolf form. Changed summary & rating. SethxOC.
1. Prologue

**Only At Night**

**Chapter One**

Prologue

Everything that happened the last three weeks was still blurry around the edges. The chapel, people all dressed in black, my mother's sympathetic lawyer, and a man whom I only vaguely remembered from ten years before. Until now, it was difficult to process the fact that all the events of those three long weeks actually happened. It all seemed to take an eerie, dream like quality, but a bad dream that was one step closer to being a full blown nightmare. The events of my mother's funeral had been so hazy that I barely grasped the entire affair as it happened, couldn't get it to register in my head even now that it was over and done with.

My mother was dead; forever gone physically, to remain only pristinely clear in my memory. I was alone, in a sense, even though I was moving in with my father – a man whom I barely knew anymore, whom I had seen only a total of seven times, but that was not counting the first three years of my clueless infancy. I was not to spend my days of trying to get over my mother's death alone, that was true, but I was still too close to being as lonely as I'd ever been: sucked into a new place where I would have to temporarily reside until college, and just because my mother's last will and testament declared that I was to be placed under the care of my biological father should anything happen to her.

My biological father. Charming Samuel Uley, a married Quileute man who had an affair with a young, fresh graduate by the name of Anne. It was inevitable that everything would end with a kid, and it did. A few months into their secret relationship, I was conceived. Aiyana, I was named.

Aiyana, I guess, was supposedly a Native American name, but then I wasn't really sure. If it was, then perhaps my mother had been trying to please Samuel when she picked the name for me at the time, straight out of a list of other names from the internet. No doubt trying to get him to stay with her, with us, so that we could function like a family. But he wasn't going to stay, and not even my mother's love for him or the name choice would have made Samuel do so. My father had a family of his own, a life. His own kid. We were merely an accident, mom and I. He was not going to stick around. And although I hated him when I came to understand who he was in my life later on as I got older, I couldn't really blame him for making the choices that he had, one of which was returning to his original family.

He visited though. How he managed to have the time to be able to do so, I had no idea, but he dropped by during all of my seven birthdays, during random school events, and every Christmas, if only briefly. For seven long years, he was a constant delight to me: appearing during holidays like my own version of a dark skinned, long haired, giant of a Santa, only slender framed. After my seventh birthday however, he became nothing more than a figment of my childhood imagination. He stopped visiting, my dark Santa, and I never saw him again.

That was, until the funeral.

To say that I was surprised was an understatement. I was _shocked_. At the time, I was only running on adrenaline alone – barely eating and drinking, caught up with attending to all the guests on behalf of my beloved Mom, deprived of sleep and on the brink of suffering the depression of losing a parent as well as crashing in exhaustion. When I spotted him amongst a crowd who warily cleared a path for his intimidating frame, as I watched him approach me with an all too familiar hesitant smile on his face, my world literally spun. To my embarrassment I fainted. The rest – waking up in a hospital, catching up, hearing about my mother's last will and testament – was, as they say, history.

And now I was here in his car a week later, driving back to his home where his son also lived, and the earth I'd claimed as my own so suddenly revolved around another galaxy where it was always raining, where the beaches had dark sand and too much drift wood and where forests thrived around your very own or at least near your house. I was not supposed to be in this Milky Way; I was not welcome here. But Samuel… my Dad wanted to take responsibility. Out of guilt, out of his own free will, I didn't know. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to be introduced to, was going to be a part of his life because he was making up for something… what that was I had no idea, but I couldn't do anything about it.

And I knew that things were not going to be pleasant. More than anything, I was afraid of meeting my older half brother and my father's friends and neighbors and fellow Quileutes. What would they think of me? How would I be treated? Would I make friends, or would I be treated as an outcast?

I wasn't really listening to Samuel's deep, accented voice chattering away, too busy watching the scenery change outside through my closed window which was misty from condensation and rainwater. He was both amusing and alluring with that sweet voice of his, laughing and chuckling as he updated me about his life – a life that I had never known – and I found that he was so easy to like. I hated him but I loved him because he was my father, and because I had no one else. My mother was gone, and I didn't have a choice but to love him. He was all that I had left. I _had _to love him or risk being distraught for the rest of my life.

And if it was loving a father who never claimed me entirely until recently to dying inside, piece by piece, because of loneliness and depression, then I was going to take my chances with Samuel Uley. I would learn to focus on my love for him, what was left of it at least, enough to forget my revulsion towards him and the fact that he abandoned me.

I snuck a glance at his face from my peripheral vision, recognizing my own face in his features. I was him in a sense, with feminine attributes thrown in thanks to my mother's genes, as well as her nose. Although to my utter horror I was rather strong jawed like him, dark haired with even darker eyes, and I also had dark skin, not dark as his but close. I looked like the half Native American that I was, and that in itself was proof enough that I was his daughter. I belonged to him but… not his world.

I was just his illegitimatedaughter who was going to crash into his and his son's life just because my mother died. My stomach churned painfully at the thought that I was going to be forcing myself into another family's existence, and I was just about to plummet into crazed anxiety when his voice decided to pull me out of my dark musings.

"Aiyana?" There was a soft chuckle as we turned a corner, getting closer to what appeared to be a residential area in the La Push community. My new home in Washington. I could spot one-storey houses now, built in the middle of vast lands with the forest acting as the backdrop of many homes. I'd never been so close to nature before, and amidst the worry, I couldn't help the spark of excitement I felt about my new environment. "You're not listening, are you?"

Slightly out of my reckoning, I managed a weak smile towards his direction when his words finally filtered inside my head, before I was looking out the window again. "A little. I'm just worried, that's all." I replied in a small voice, my stomach protesting once more as though I was being tickled, although repulsively, on the gut. I wanted to go home… but home was _here _now.

Samuel's chuckle suddenly morphed into chortles at my reply and he shook his head slightly, his hair bouncing with the peals of his laughter as he reached out to tousle my hair. "Relax. It's going to be okay. Sam has known you for years now… it's still hard for him to accept that you'll be moving in, but he'll deal. If he doesn't, I'll take care of him." And even though he had that stupid grin on his face, I couldn't help but sense that Samuel was as troubled as I was and only trying so hard to reassure me.

I totally understood his own worries of course, the mirrored mine somewhat. For how exactly was he supposed to force two people who didn't know each other, who had their own mothers and who had lived separated lives without the knowledge of the other's existence until a few years back, and who shared a father and nothing else, into a single house? That was asking for trouble right there.

But I didn't argue to his statement as I nodded silently, although I couldn't help but make a suggestion I'd made about a dozen times since I'd learned about my mom's preparations if she ever passed on before I was ready to set out on my own. It was a choice, this suggestion, but I was scared of this because it was being by myself.

"I can always… you know. Find a part time job and do night school Samuel. You don't have to do this. I don't want to be a burden to you and Sam. I'll survive, you don't have to worry about me."

There was another chuckle in reply, and I wondered why Samuel was so happy all the time. All my memories of him were the same, as a child: he always laughed and smiled and was eternally happy. Perhaps that was why my Mom loved him so much. I would never know, and my chest constricted at the thought. Samuel's answer to me stopped my tears, and I was glad.

"You know my stand kid, the answer's still no." He turned to a property, pretty much like everyone else's, and pulled into a driveway. I looked up and found myself looking at a two-storey house, so weathered and worn that it seemed to be a miracle that it was still standing. My new home. With a dad I was only forcing myself to accept as my own flesh and blood despite his short comings, and a half brother I was scared of meeting and who probably had no interest in ever getting to know me… I bit my lip, Samuel's words only affirming what I already knew.

"We're here."

I gulped, not trusting my voice, and only nodded as I opened the passenger door. Stepping out, the light drizzle allowed for rain drops to land gently on my skin, as if in reassurance… and I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath as I shivered both because of the cold and what was in store for me. When I opened my eyes, I found someone who looked like Samuel Uley peeking out from one of the windows through a gap in the curtains, and my heart jumped as his hard, expressionless face registered in my brain, before he disappeared. _Sam. My half brother._

If running was an option, I would have bolted. But Samuel was beside me, an arm around my shoulder, and I knew there was nowhere else to go. He was smiling. "Well… welcome home Aiyana."

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Author's Notes: **__So I hope I did that right. Tell me what you think. But please remember that there's a fine line between letting me know your opinion kindly and shoving it in my face to get your point across. The former is much more appreciated, of course. I don't mind criticism, as long as they're not flames. Both readers and writers would know the difference between the two I'm sure. Thank you._

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Also, I would just like to say that I'm not a Twilight fan, so most of what I know is based on research and is hopefully correct. I found Sam's father's history intriguing, and since Seth is such a loveable character, I decided a story about him imprinting wouldn't be so bad, mixed with the older Uley's history. As for the name Samuel, I usually just come up with common names, so we all have to make do that he's named such. And anyway, his name's near Sam's so yeah. The name Aiyana was founded through research btw. Just type in "Native American Names" in Google and click the first result you find there. Aiyana sounded better than everything else, so I chose it, not special reason. Yes, I suck at names, what can I say. :)  
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	2. Siblings

**Only At Night**

**Chapter Two**

Siblings

_**Author's Notes: **__I know it's not compulsory or anything for you guys to leave a comment, but it would really help me know if this story is worth writing because then I would also know if people are actually reading it. I'm saying this because I got quite a number of hits for the first chapter but got only one review. (Thanks for being the first ever reviewer, Kagomae.) _

_Anyway, I've totally ignored the disclaimer, haven't I? I own only the plot and the characters you won't recognize from the books, not that there'll be too many OCs. I also changed the rating, because the previous one was limiting me. Here's the story now and enjoy :)_

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**Sa POV**

"Are you going to be a spoiled little Alpha queen and sulk there all day?"

A round of laughter and giggles erupted from almost everyone present, and a deep rumbling sounded from my chest as I growled, staring daggers at nothing in particular from where I sat on a chair, facing the forest that was our backyard with a beer in hand. I took a swig, not appreciating my fiancé's sense of humor. At any other day it would have been one of the things I adored about Emily Young, but today wasn't just one of those days.

"That wasn't funny." I spat, taking another swig of beer. "And yes, I'm going to sulk here all day because I'm not going to prepare anything for that slut's daughter." I added, anger lacing the second to the last word I'd uttered. Someone gasped from inside the house – Sue Clearwater, if I was correct – and then someone was stomping outside where I was on the back porch in a matter of seconds, slapping me upside the head. It didn't hurt; I didn't even budge.

"Sam!" my fiancé exclaimed, and I looked up to find her giving me a reproachful look, her eyes narrowed dangerously and her hands on her hips. This was not good – my Emily was always so mild mannered. But at the moment my anger over the situation and everything really was clouding everything, and I didn't particularly pay any attention to what my mouth was spewing. "Don't you dare say that again; she's your _sister!_"

"_Half _sister," I corrected coldly, resuming to glaring at nothing in particular as I took another sip of my cold beer. It was the only thing keeping me near sane at the moment. "And why shouldn't I? If the bitch who bore that kid who's going to be living here now wasn't a slut, why did she seduce a married man?"

Emily sighed patiently, but I knew she was about past my childishness. We'd been at this for at least a week now. Ever since my manwhore of a father announced that the daughter he had with another woman long ago was coming to stay in La Push with him, _us_, after being put legally under his care due to the mother's death, I'd seen nothing but red. Emily had been trying to make me see reason for seven days straight, but I don't think I wanted to be sensible about the entire thing. I'm sure no one was going to blame me for acting the way I was doing now, because you just didn't allow a complete outsider to walk into your life, an outsider whose mother was partly responsible for your unhappy family. You just didn't.

There was another sigh, this time less patient as my fiancé spoke in a barely composed voice. She was getting annoyed, but I was _furious _so her own laid back anger was harmless and unimportant compared to mine, at least where I was concerned.

"The stranger that you're referring to is named Aiyana, and you're not going to mess up her first day in La Push by being a brat." A hand found itself on my shoulder, and Emily applied a little pressure upon it as she squeezed. "Sam _please_. You're not going to punish your sister because your dad and her mom committed stupid mistakes."

I sighed and had nothing to say to that as Emily walked back inside for the rest of the preparations for this girl's, Aiyana's arrival. Finishing my beer, I just wanted nothing more than to phase and run around in wolf form until she disappeared from my life, but that wasn't anytime soon. This was going to be her new, _permanent_ home. Whether I liked it or not, she was going to live with me and my dad.

Wasn't it bad enough that she existed? I took it well, as much as I could like a real man, when I first found out that I had a half sister who was years younger than I was with one of my dad's many women. I'd had a few outbursts, expected ones mind, and then I got past it and moved on. But this was another story. Fate was pushing her luck way too much – I wasn't going to freely accept this girl into my life just because she was orphaned and put under my dad's list of legal responsibilities.

I was literally seeing red and shaking by now, and was on the verge of phasing right on our back porch when Emily's voice rang from inside the house. She was talking to everybody, including me, and the cheerfulness in her voice calmed me somewhat. It was a little unsettling however, that she was so eager to meet this half sister of mine. I sure wasn't.

"They're here."

Yes, they were. I could hear the car coming up the driveway; hear the gravel crunching underneath the moving car tires. Emily called out again, this time to me. "I said they're here Sam. Greet them at the doorway." And I found myself huffing in anger before I was entering the house and doing as I was told like a pathetic puppy. I heard a car door being slammed closed, and then another as I headed for the window to spy on my dad and the intruder before they could get in. I could smell her now – she was a new scent, one I was going to smell very often from then on. Swatting the annoying curtains obscuring the view in front of the house aside, I looked outside and found a girl standing with her eyes closed under the rain just beside my dad's car.

I scrutinized her appearance – there was no doubt she was Quileute, although she had distinguishing features that suggested she was only half. Her skin wasn't as dark as everyone else's in this town, although she had the same dark hair. She was exceptionally tall as well. I felt my anger flare. Overall, she had inherited a lot of the Quileute genes.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and my gaze met hers. Aiyana Brown. _My seventeen-year-old half sister._ The product of one of my father's sordid affairs with other women, despite the fact that he had such a loving wife and a son. I began shaking violently, and before I ruined the house with my lack of self control which I had not lost in a very long time, I turned around and ran back the way I came from – out the back door and into the forest to the sound of ripping and the shredding of clothes.

No one stopped me, and I was thankful. It would have been foolish if anyone tried.

* * *

**A POV**

My heart was a thudding mess; everyone in La Push could probably hear it beating erratically in my chest as I began walking towards the house I was going to be staying in from now on with Samuel. And maybe they could – most of them had to be congregated in the Uley household because there were more than enough cars parked on the way. Surely Samuel and his son didn't own too many so… there had to be other people in the house but… why?

Looking up at Samuel questioningly, he laughed at my horrified reaction after realizing that I had been eyeing the other vehicles parked along the way. He clapped my shoulder lightly. "Did you really think we weren't going to prepare something for you on your arrival?" He pulled me closer, and he was so fatherly at that instant that I found myself plagued by distant memories of Christmases spent with my dark Santa as a mere child. My chest constricted, as it had been doing so the past few days.

Thankfully, Samuel's booming voice brought me back to reality – although his words did nothing to help my emotional stability. "I hope you don't mind that we made dinner. It's still a little early for eating, but I'm sure no one's going to complain. I know you're not going to – that is if you still have my appetite and I would presume you do. And besides it's your homecoming so a little get together is normal."

I managed a small smile, and I found myself touched at the gesture. He didn't have to do this, but he did and I was on the verge of tears because of it. Or maybe I was still being overly sensitive, after everything that happened. Either way, I was barely able to control my tear ducts. "No, I don't mind." I replied, trying to tame my rapidly shortening breath. I was not going to embarrass myself by bawling. "Thanks Samuel."

We reached the porch and Samuel awkwardly placed a kiss on my forehead, one arm around my shoulders and the other on the doorknob. "Of course kid. Let's go in and introduce you to everyone then."

He opened the door and ushered me inside, and I prepared myself to have my entire world changed at that instant – but in more ways than one, I would not realize until later.

As we stepped inside, I instantly knew that the outward appearance of the house had served its purpose of fooling me. The weathered, rustic look outside did not reflect indoors. It was decent, if a little small – but decent. It gave the impression of warmth… _just like home_, I thought without knowing where that came from. I put off scrutinizing the house for later. At that instant, my gaze found a small group of people, all similar with regard to skin tone, hair color and, for the males, body built, all either eagerly or curiously watching me as I stopped by the doorway with Samuel. The men startled me in particular; I would have cowered back in surprise, if my dad hadn't been holding me firmly in place. The guys were _huge_, like pro wrestlers.

"Hey everyone, we're back. This is she; my daughter, Aiyana."

Oh how casually my dad put it, and I internally winced. It was as though I wasn't illegitimate, as though he didn't have his son from his real family here in the same room as I was. I smiled weakly and raised a tentative hand to wave hello, before the women were fussing over me and I was being introduced to everyone and everyone was introducing themselves to me.

"Aiyana! It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Emily Young – I'm your brother's, Sam's fiancé."

"Oh hello dear. My name's Sue Clearwater."

"That's Paul, Jared, Brady, and Collin. Boys, say hello."

"Hey! What about us! Hi, I'm Embry. That's Jacob. You must be Aiyana?"

"Thanks for leaving me out of the introductions guys. Hey Aiyana, I'm Quil. And this little girl is Claire – Claire, say hi to Aiyana."

"Hi, I'm Rachel and this is Rebecca. We're Jake's – Jacob's – sisters."

And on, and on, and on – I noticed the flurry of tall, muscle toned men more than anything else, because they exceeded the women and normal men in number, and I was getting kind of dizzy. By the time the introductions were over and done with, I had about more than ten names I knew I needed to keep in mind. The welcome was warm (except for a certain group – Paul, Jared, Brady, and Collin were sort of stiff around me) and I was glad that most of my worries were for nothing but…

But the one name I was sure I would never forget, my brother's name… none of the introductions mentioned the name Sam at all. He hadn't come up to introduce himself, and was nowhere to be found when the hesitant thought of introducing myself to him instead came to mind. I looked around, but he wasn't in the room. Where was he? I was pretty sure he was the one I saw looking out the window earlier… had he left? That disheartened me, more than anything.

It wasn't like I wasn't expecting this of course, but it was still very disappointing…

"Are you hungry Aiyana?" my musings broke apart when one of the women, Sue if I remembered correctly, came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Without waiting for me to answer, she was already leading me toward the kitchen where almost every countertop was laden with dishes of food: steaks, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, whole chickens, corn, barbeques… I gawked at the amount present, and since I didn't bother to hide my surprise, Sue noticed.

Laughing at my reaction, she went off to explain. "I know, there's a lot right? We have quite a number of growing young men here, thus the need for a feast."

She shoved a plate on my chest and gave me a motherly smile as I nodded. As if that explained everything and it didn't. "Anyway, the girls first, or else we risk starving. Come along Aiyana."

I didn't understand at first, and I turned to my dad questioningly. He was only watching me with a grin as he winked, and since everyone felt whatever Sue said explained everything, I began piling my plate with a little bit of everything and more than enough mashed potatoes, leaving it at that. It was only when the girls finished getting their share of the meal and the boys began attacking the dishes did I finally understand.

I was glad I got more than enough, which was normal for me (I guess I did have Samuel's appetite), because by the time they were done, barely anything was left. I laughed a little as I watched a few of them bicker over a chicken leg, the last piece of steak, and left over mashed potato, and wondered then if I would ever fit in… I certainly felt the extent of how much I was an outsider at that moment.

And this feeling of being an alien intensified all the more when someone walked in, wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else – looking so intimidating, with that unreadable expression on his face. My heart stopped beating when my dad addressed the young man who walked in from the back door.

"Sam! Finally, where have you been?" Samuel approached his son, my half brother, and threw an arm around his shoulder. He steered him towards me, and I had to force down the steak I was chewing because suddenly I couldn't swallow. "Sam, this is your sister Aiyana. Aiyana, your older brother Sam."

I looked up at him and tried to smile, again raising a tentative hand for a wave. He just looked down at me for a full five seconds. And then he nodded, turned around, and headed to Emily who already had a plate filled with food waiting for him. My heart cracked, and then turned to dust. I took a deep breath and held it in as my gaze met my dad's apologetic ones.

Damn, I needed a cigarette.

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_**Author's Notes: **__Okay, I lied. Not only will reviews let me know if people are reading my story, it'll also make me happy. So please take the time and drop one. Thanks._


	3. The Half Naked Truth

**Only At Night**

**Chapter Three**

The Half Naked Truth

_**Author's Notes: **__I'm surprised at how many people put this on story alert, but without reviewing. Rest assured since I know the story's being read, I'll still be writing this and will merely wait patiently for the time any one of you guys who are hiding decide to drop a review. Please do so. It's a writer's boost – getting feedback (I sound like I'm begging wtf xD). Still your choice of course, I'm still going to write anyway. I'm pathetic that way._

_By the way, thanks to the three readers who dropped a review, it means a lot. With that, here's the third chapter. :) **[ Edited 24/11/09 at 6:55 pm. Hopefully I caught all the spelling and grammar mistakes I missed when I first wrote this chapter. ]**  
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**Se POV**

I'd always enjoyed being able to phase into a wolf – after the initial shock and confusion of turning into one had time to melt away of course. It gave me a wider berth when viewing everything around me, because I was able to see a lot of things in a different perspective. In wolf form, everything seemed sharper and clearer, and what I wouldn't have noticed as a human seemed too painfully pristine with my heightened senses.

Yes, being a wolf rocked.

_Oh shut up Seth, _Leah snapped with an annoyed huff, my musings about the wonders of being a werewolf getting the better of her, as usual. I merely laughed mentally at her displeasure. Unlike myself (and maybe Quil), she did not enjoy this werewolf business as much as everyone else tried to, my dear pessimistic sister, and she always had to drag everyone down. This wasn't new – unpleasant as it was, I was getting used to it because she was constantly in my head. Since she was in mine too, why couldn't she just feel the same way? There was absolute coolness in being a massive wolf.

A resounding growl came from somewhere far to my left, amidst a thickset of trees, and I grinned as my sister's thoughts cut through my own like newly sharpened razors. Her annoyance flared like a beacon for the entire pack, at least those who were on patrol tonight, and I noted a few mental cringes from Quil and Embry. _I said shut up Seth, do you want me to make sure your imprint never gets pregnant?_

Threats to my manhood. Not funny, but I only chuckled and let that one slide. I was too much in a pleasant mood anyway, so not even my sister's negativity could replace the rainbows and butterflies I was seeing. After the events with the Cullens, Jacob's strange imprinting with a half vampire, and the Volturi's visit, things had been really slow in Forks and La Push even though the split La Push packs kept a constant watch of the surrounding area near the reservation. It had been very boring, and it often made me feel like I was more of a guard dog than wolf. But not today, thank heavens, thus my wonderful disposition that my sister didn't seem to share.

Earlier this morning during a routine check of the perimeter assigned to our bunch, Leah and Embry had picked up a foreign vampire scent which was all over the outskirts north of the reservation. It was fairly new, a couple of hours old. Naturally, they informed Jacob about this discovery and after a brief meeting between the two Alphas, our pack went up with Jake to inform the Cullens of the news while Sam met up with his own pups to do whatever it was they did when situations like these came up. There was no threat yet obviously, but as was protocol with such cases, all the more experienced wolves were to have rotating shifts in pairs and triads starting tonight as a precaution. This was going to be kept up as usual until everyone was sure this was just a stray vampire passing through the area and not some vampire serial killer or worse.

And although the concept that this bloodsucker was merely _passing through _was kind of strange – ever since that fateful day in the meadow, no vampire had crossed this part of Washington post Volturi visit without any kind of business here – it could happen of course. So as much as we wanted to rid the waking world of the stinky smell that could only come from the living dead, we weren't about to attack an innocent bloodsucker unless it gave us a reason to.

But still. Now we could escape normal, colorless sentry assignments for some action. It had been months on end without a bloodsucker within the vicinity.

_I suppose when the bloodsucker starts killing it won't be as exciting as it is now, _Leah snapped at that moment, disrupting my whirlwind of thoughts and dampening my enthusiasm. She certainly knew how to be a killjoy – sometimes the mind connection we had to share, being in the same pack and all, sucked. But then it was either that or being a part of Sam's, so with hardly any choice, I'd rather be stuck forever tuned to my older sister's crazy mind instead.

Another growl, this time angrier than the first, but I only burst into another round of mental chuckles. I nearly forgot there were four of us on duty tonight – not until Quil finally groaned in reply, seemingly unable to help himself anymore. _Seth man, don't push her. She'll make this watch hell for everybody!_

I was supposed to snap at Leah for feeling so smug about what had just been said – as if she had that much of an effect to everybody (maybe a little bit)– but Embry chose that moment to agree and broadcast his own thoughts, feigned with desperation. If he was in human form, he would have been on his knees, and he made sure I saw that mental image of a begging Embry in his own head. _So shut the fuck up man and be a good wolf please. _

Rolling my eyes, I gave a huff that seemed volumes louder in the eerily silent forest. _Yeah, whatever, _I muttered,and we all got back to running in laid back, uniform speed to head to the river that ran along the length of the area were going to be watching tonight. We were going to split in pairs somewhere near the bank – Embry and I, Leah and Quil – and patrol the area for the next few hours until Sam's appointed pack members came to relieve us.

It was in the middle of my reviewing the agenda for tonight in my mind when Leah, running a little ahead, gave us a mental command to slow down. _Hang on guys, I smell something. _I sensed more than saw everyone halt eventually, and I lifted my nose in the air, sniffing as I did the same.

_I don't _– I was saying, but that was when I caught it and I put a complete stop to my thoughts. A slight shift in the breeze carried with it the faintest smell of vanilla and cigarettes. Just by the river, our destination. On my far right, a few kilometers away, I heard Embry growling but I quickly snapped at him. _Easy man, it's not a bloodsucker. It's human, but nothing I've ever smelled before._

Quil was also sniffing, but he was anything but hostile. _It smells kind of familiar though… _he thought then, struggling to recall something. I saw flashes of Claire and the Uley househould, but he was thinking too quickly that nothing was making sense coming from him. _Like from earlier, I just don't remember… _

_We'll have to investigate, _Leah said then in all her Beta glory, and I reluctantly volunteered myself to the task since either Embry or Quil were doing so. I gave an exaggerated sigh – why was I always the first one to be risked? What if this was some hunter waiting on the rumored "bears" in the area? Yes, everyone in La Push and Forks still thought we were giant teddy bears. Leah rolled her mental eyes at my jumble of thoughts, and at such an uncalled for moment. _Just go Seth – hurry up._

_All right, all right. I'll check who it is._

Grumbling obscenities in my head, I swiftly but stealthily maneuvered between tree trunks until I was close enough to see the river without being seen myself. The running water was loud, but apart from that, someone was muttering hysterically and squealing softly to themselves. The squishing of shoes on mud and wet leaves was evident, so this someone was obviously moving about – or jumping maybe, the sound of movements were too frantic for just plain pacing or walking.

With silent steps I crept closer, keeping to the shadows, finally spotting a figure in the distance. It was a girl – around my age or younger maybe – and she was half naked, her shirt and jeans somewhere on the forest floor, jumping up and down and reaching behind her as though she was trying to swat something away, going in circles where she stood in the process.

A low chuckle came from me. _Guys, it's just a half naked girl, _I told them, my wolf eyes drinking in the scene of this panic-stricken female teenager clad only in her cute, heart designed undergarments. Embry was quick to react. _A half naked girl? I'm gonna howl! _He saw her through my thoughts and was about to really howl, but Leah cut him off.

_Shut the fuck up, do you want to cause a fuss? _Our oh so lovely Beta snapped then, but I was too busy surveying the girl who was, of course, still oblivious of her audience. She stopped jumping then although she was restless and shifting her weight from foot to foot, still squealing a little bit, and finally I found myself looking at her face as her entire body turned toward my general direction.

My heart stopped beating and the world came unhinged as my wolf eyes found itself looking at the center of my own personal universe.

_Shit! _I heard Quil mentally say, but I was too far removed from everything around me that I didn't even realize he was talking in the background. My eyes were only for this wonderful girl – strands of her dark wet hair all over her disgusted face as she picked up her shirt from the ground, still darting glances (or trying to) at her bare back as though she was looking for something.

_Seth, what are you doing?! _Leah's voice was panicked as opposed to her usual annoyed tone, but I didn't notice at all – I didn't even know what she was talking about. And besides, I wasn't doing anything wrong; I just wanted a closer look at this girl. Before I realized what I was doing, my feet had taken me past the trees obscuring me from view, nearer this dark haired, semi-dark skinned beauty.

A twig snapped and broke underfoot, and my dark haired beauty jumped in surprise as she became aware of my presence, eyes widening in shock as her gaze landed on me. Our eyes met – and I was enthralled and lost in her black, almost brown eyes. I would imagine I was gazing at her in awe, but why was she looking at me like that?

A string of curses brought me back to reality, and I realized Leah was screaming in my head (as well as Quil's and Embry's, to their misfortune). _Fuck it Seth, you're in wolf form! You're scaring her, get away now!_

But I hadn't moved an inch when my precious imprint took a frightened, shaky step back, still half naked, before screaming at the top of her lungs for the whole of La Push to hear. I mentally slapped myself for my stupidity as I watched her run away with nothing else on but her underwear and bra, clutching a shirt to her chest.

_Ah fuck._

* * *

**A POV**

The eating festivities which had lost all warmth to me carried on until nightfall. As I ate on my corner of the kitchen silently, occasionally being talked to by most of the temporary inhabitants of the house, I took the time to study everyone present. None of them really held my interest for very long, mainly because of one particular person. Emily.

My brother's fiancé, Emily Young. I noticed the scars adorning one side of her face when she greeted me by the door of course, who wouldn't, but it was only then that I could really look at her, at _it_. She was beautiful, if not for those scars pulling her eyes and mouth down to an eternal frown. And she still was I soon realized, as I looked at my brother _look _at her – with so much love, that it hurt for me to look at it. In my half brother's eyes, I saw past the facial disfiguration and realized that if Sam loved her and found her beautiful, why shouldn't everybody else?

I watched them with a soft smile on my face. They looked so happy. And here I was, distraught… I sighed and tried my best to finish everything in my plate, and _actually _managed. I was pretty hungry, despite my disposition, and I wasn't about to overlook my nourishment just because I was feeling bad. Although after the joy of getting my stomach filled wore off, I was almost miserable again. And that was because Sam hadn't even glanced my way once ever since the introduction.

True, it was because he was all eyes on his fiancé. I doubted that was the only reason though. And if I had any doubts earlier, I sure didn't have them now: my brother didn't want anything at all to do with me. As much as that fact affected me, I put on a happy face. I didn't want to make a bad impression on everyone else; they didn't deserve that after accepting me so genially, as though I belonged when I didn't.

At ten past six after nearly an hour of questions all directed toward me (Sam, and the group of Paul, Jared, Embry and Collin did not join this conversation at all), everyone finally decided to call it a night and dispersed. With so many able hands in the Uley house, it took about a full twenty minutes for everyone to clean up and by six thirty pm, the house was almost deserted except for myself, Samuel, and Sam. As my half brother walked Emily to the door, as I expected him to do, Samuel pulled me aside to talk.

He still had that apologetic look on his face as he spoke to me in a low voice. "Look Aiyana, about earlier. I'm sorry about Sam –" he was saying, but I didn't want to hear it, whatever he was going to say. My happy face was slipping away now, with no audience… but I wasn't about to make my dad feel bad. This was just… _this_. None of us could do anything about the situation.

"Please, I don't want to talk about it Samuel. It's fine. I… do you mind if I take a walk? I'm just going to clear my head a little, if it's okay." I was probably speaking very fast and so obviously trying to evade the conversation we were having, but I was pretty sure my old man understood. Maybe we could talk about this, but not just now.

He sighed and towered over me. My dark Santa. Memories flooded my head, and I felt the familiar tightening in my chest. He smiled slightly, and it took all of my power not to bawl. I was not going to create such a pathetic sight, especially since Sam could walk in anytime. "All right, all right… your things are already upstairs. Don't go too deep into the forest if you decide to wander ovr there okay? I'm sorry again kid." He leaned forward and planted another kiss on my forehead, and I simply nodded as I hurried for the backdoor and out of the house, fumbling for my cigarette pack and a lighter.

Once outside, I lit a stick and inhaled the noxious smoke, closing my eyes as I willed myself to relax and to just stop thinking. Ever since Mom died, I'd succumbed into the bad habit of smoking. No one really stopped me – they realized it was my way of relieving stress what with the funeral and all and thought I would stop after Mom's burial. But I didn't. It got worse and now I was a chain smoker. I couldn't stop anymore, because I found that only nicotine could calm my nerves.

A couple of sticks more and a coughing fit later, I finally returned my pack of cigarettes and lighter inside my pocket, remembering that I was supposed to be taking a walk. The forest. I remembered Samuel's words as I stared at the forest which was our backyard. From what I could see, there was a path there. So I wouldn't get lost right? Right. With that, I got off the back porch and welcomed my new surroundings, walking into a thickset of trees and finally getting lost in the shadows of nature.

I sighed as I walked, not really seeing anything, and for a long while my mind replayed the day so far, catching my breath as I began to have difficulty breathing. I hadn't been in La Push for more than three hours and here I was, a sobbing mess. I didn't even realize I was crying until I finally tasted the salty tears upon licking my lips, but then I hastily brushed them away with the back of my hand. This wasn't the time to pity myself. Sure I lost a mom, had to live with a dad I barely knew _and _live in a house with a brother who doesn't want me, but there were other people with huger problems right?

Although at the moment I couldn't think of worst problems than mine. And I was still crying, angrily wiping every tear drop as it fell, and nothing I told myself could stop me from crying because the truth was, I was officially alone. I harked back on the night my life came crashing down almost literally.

According to police reports, Annalise Brown had been driving home from work when the accident happened. The driver of the truck that hit Anne's car beat the red light, causing the crash. Such was the severity of the collision that the car she was in, including herself, was hardly recognizable. The casket remained closed during the entire affair (and of course even after) because there was scarcely any body parts left to form a body. My mother, reduced to a bloody pulp. It wasn't a nice mental image – and my mother's friends wouldn't let me look at her remains even if I told them I could take it. Even though I wanted to, not caring that it was going to be my last memory of her.

But I was able to sneak and look at what had become of the parent who'd raised me for seventeen years, and found myself regretting it. I didn't know how long I sat on the cool bathroom floor, retching on the toilet after. The vision of incomplete body parts would forever haunt me. I even had nightmares days and nights following that.

But nothing was more nightmarish than this: being an outsider in a foreign land, with people I didn't know, in a place that was alien to me. If only my mom hadn't died, I wouldn't have to force myself into this place, prove myself to a brother who looked like he wasn't about to acknowledge the fact that he had a sister. If… so many _ifs_ that I didn't even want to name them one by one. It was useless, to hang on to them, but at the moment the _if onlys _left in my life were the only things that made sense to me.

A sort of small clearing opened during my stroll, and I found myself by a small running river. It distracted me somewhat, and I headed over to wash my face. I only ever saw rivers during camping trips that I never really liked, and it somehow delighted me. I crouched down then to do as was planned, but I slipped on a patch of wet leaves – sending one foot on the water and the rest of my body flat on my back on mud to a soft splash. I groaned and for a few minutes only lay there like the dead, looking up at the darkening sky.

So much for my first day in La Push.

I actually considered staying there forever, but at that moment something like goosebumps crawled from the base of my spine, upwards. At first I ignored it, but it got worse… as though something was squirming between my skin and my shirt. It took about a few seconds before panic kicked in, and with a squeal, I was up on my feet and jumping up and down like an idiot, managing to slip a second time, this time to fall fully on the river.

_A snake! A leech! What is that on my back?!_

But I was not distracted by my very graceless toppling on the water. _Something's crawling on my back, something icky, something yucky! _I thought as I scrambled towards the bank, taking off my shirt and tossing it to the side as I clawed on my skin, going round and round in circles where I stood as I continued hopping like a bunny, occasionally slipping on patches of wet leaves. The crawling feeling got worse, and I got paranoid even though I knew this had to be a psychological effect – I took off my pants too. "Oh my god, oh my god…" I hated things that crawled, and whatever it was on me, it was certainly doing that. Crawling.

Squealing embarrassingly loudly, I continued clawing at myself everywhere, and in my favorite bra and matching underwear. I knew I had to look disheveled. I wondered what Samuel would say if he walked in on me like this. He would probably think I'd been raped. _Yes, I'm being raped by a creepy crawly thing! _I didn't know how long I was madly dancing about, removing something unknown, but it felt like ages.

When finally I was sure that there was nothing on me that wasn't supposed to be there, I picked up my shirt and breathed a little sigh of relief. As I did so however, I couldn't help looking over my back to try and see if there was something horrible there. "This is ridiculous… how will I go home, caked in mud…" I muttered to myself.

I was just looking around for my pants then, trying to figure out a fitting explanation on why I looked the way I did once I went back and Samuel found me, but at that instant the sound of a twig snapping made me look up.

I wish I hadn't.

It was impossible. Completely, _utterly _impossible. A few feet from me, opposite the way I had come from, was a wolf. A massive, sandy furred wolf the size of… of what was the size that I could compare it to? I literally stopped breathing as the giant animal surveyed me with a leveled gaze, and I didn't want to move but my body was betraying me. It wanted to run away as fast as I could, somewhere safe.

_Oh my god, _I thought. The wolf continued to stare, and I continued to stare back. How could a wolf grow so big I had no idea, but that was it for my sanity. I clutched my shirt tighter to my chest, took a wary step back… before turning around and screaming like the girl that I was. I didn't even care that I didn't have pants on.

Oh yes, so much for my first day in La Push. I was prepared to go stark, raving mad.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **__Finally I got that over and done with. Seth imprints. More later, and please feel free to review. :)_


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